Claus Bertermann (1965) - Going Dutch

Artist: Claus Bertermann

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art

The story behind "Going Dutch"

Two straws, one glass, and not a single sip taken. She rests her chin on her hand and studies you, as if you had just made an interesting offer. He leans back on the red sofa, one arm stretched wide, in no hurry at all. Whatever brought these two to this little table, the real conversation has not started yet.

Going Dutch means splitting the bill. But the phrase reaches further back, to the Dutch painters of the seventeenth century and their scenes around small tables: a man fills a glass and offers it to a woman, and every viewer of the time understood the gesture as a proposal. Here nobody pours and nobody offers. The glass stands exactly between them, one straw for each, equal shares from the very start. So the old scene runs on new terms: the first sip is not taken, it is chosen. And judging by the look in her eyes, she is the one who will choose, and he is perfectly happy to wait for her answer.

About the artist

Claus Bertermann holds a Master's degree in Architecture (TU Munich) and is an internationally collected contemporary artist, with more than 1,000 large-format works in private and institutional collections, including a monumental triptych at the Technical University of Munich. His abstract paintings have reached top auction results such as €18,900 at C. h. r. i. s. t. i. e´s Paris and €15,240 at S. o. t. h. e. b. y´s Cologne, with further sales at V. a. n. H. a. m, A. r. t. c. u. r. i. a. l and D. o. r. o. t. h. e. u. m.

In 2026 he started a radically new figurative series: people and scenes in bold, emotional colour, inspired by German Expressionism. First he paints the background with loose, broad brushstrokes. Then he draws the figures on top with oil stick, in clear and confident lines.

Visual description

On the left, a young woman with flame-red hair rests her chin on her hand, wrapped in a jacket of green, blue and orange. On the right, a young man in a red-violet cap leans back in a deep blue jacket, one arm along the back of a glowing red sofa. Between them stands a small dark table with a single orange drink and two straws, all set against a warm wall of orange, ochre and bright yellow. Signed in green oil stick at the lower right.

One detail for those who look twice: the two straws lean away from each other, one towards her and one towards him, as if the glass had already divided itself fairly.

Why it is worth the price

A large, museum-scale painting from the first year of a radically new figurative series, at 150 x 200 cm a true statement piece for a living room, a gallery wall or a collector's study. Its warm oranges and deep blues fill a room with energy, and its quiet game of offer and answer rewards every second look. A witty, intelligent work for collectors who enjoy paintings that carry a story beneath the surface, and a nod to the great tradition of Dutch genre painting.

Key details for collectors

– Title: Going Dutch
– Year: 2026
– Dimensions (H x W): 150 x 200 cm (59 × 79 inches)
– Medium: Acrylic and oil stick on canvas
– Original, one-of-a-kind artwork
– Signed by the artist on the front and back side; title, year and the artist's full name inscribed on the back
– Certificate of authenticity included
– Condition: excellent; all surface irregularities are intentional and part of the artist's process
– Sold unframed and without stretcher bars; shipped rolled for safe international transport
– Additional white border of approx. 10 cm (approx. 4 inches) on all sides, allowing professional restretching on museum-quality stretcher bars up to 6 cm (approx. 2.4 inches) deep for a clean, frameless, gallery-style presentation
– Professional stretching is the responsibility of the buyer
– Professional packaging and worldwide shipping with premium carriers such as UPS

Please note regarding the room views:

Some of the photographs show the painting digitally placed in an interior. These room views are AI-visualisations, created to give an impression of scale and presence only — they are not photographs of the actual work hanging in a room. Both the size proportions and the colours shown in them may differ from the original. The binding references are the dimensions stated above (H x W) and the studio photograph of the painting itself. Please also note that colours may appear differently depending on screen calibration.